Tag: Ritual

Reclaiming Our Birthright

Reclaiming Our Birthright

Earth-Magick, Culture and Ritual

by Erik van Lennep

 

“Time is not a line/Leading ever farther from where we are/But fluid dreams and memories/Where ancestors and someday-children/Take us by the hand.” – From “Initiation I,” by Erik van Lennep, 1992

On a warm day in late September, I walked through the Vermont woods to arrive where 16-year old Nathan waited beside a beaver pond. “Are you ready?” I asked, and smiling with nervous excitement, he said he was.

Turning, I led him back into the woods, until we reached a natural gateway formed by two large paper birch trees flanking the path. At this point, I asked Nathan if he was certain he wanted to continue on, and he replied with a sober yes. “Good,” I said, “now take off all of your clothes and hand them to me.” As he did so, I said, “You now are nameless and homeless, and naked as you entered life, you shall remain empty. You have nothing but what you carry within you.”

Having grown up in a rural setting where swimsuits are generally considered superfluous, if not downright annoying, and being a child of the 1970s and ’80s, the requirement he disrobe was hardly as shocking for Nathan as it might have been for an urban youth. It did, however, place him immediately into a nonordinary state of awareness, a prerequisite for powerfully transformative experience. I have also discovered that full exposure of the skin heightens a person’s sensitivity to the surrounding environment: Each nuance of breeze registers upon the skin, and it becomes necessary to slow down and to pay close attention to the act of walking. Textures underfoot become more noticeable, as well as one’s passing through vegetation types, and the movement from sun to shadow. The feel of the surrounding landscape becomes a living presence in a way that simply does not ordinarily register while clothed. The symbolism of being ritually pared down to the basics was not lost upon Nathan either.

We hiked the remaining quarter of a mile to a campsite I had prepared for his coming-of-age ritual. Twice more along the way we stopped, and I again asked if he wanted to return home. After the third time, there would be no turning back. Each time, as he responded with increasing confidence that he wished to proceed, the nature of the walk became more demanding, until the last 100 yards where I led him blindfolded through heavy brush to the clearing where we would spend the next three days and nights.

Coming of age is marked by confusion, particularly within industrialized cultures such as that of the United States. This confusion is why traditional societies have always marked this major life transition with ceremonies and ritual. Ceremony calls attention to the importance of the event, celebrating it with community recognition and support, while ritual weaves the person and event into a fabric of meaning and tradition. Although our industrialized society has attempted to refocus its members on consumerism as a substitute for spirituality, the need for community, ceremony and ritual remains strong.

It was no surprise that Nathan found his sixteenth birthday marked by a sense of profound disappointment. In our society, there are momentous expectations focused around 16-year-olds. They are led to believe that new worlds will open before them, while they themselves feel they have arrived at adulthood. But usually the transition is marked by nothing more than a piece of paper certifying the capability and the right to drive a car, which in many cases the 16-year-old has been driving already. Certainly, a driver’s license heralds a new level of freedom and, we hope, responsibility, but it hardly provides the recognition required to celebrate a major life change. Nathan and I discussed this around the time of his birthday, and I mentioned to him that if he wanted to mark the occasion with something more meaningful, he and I could probably devise something appropriate.

About two months later, I had a series of dreams characterized by intense imagery, which I later realized were pieces of some sort of ritual. It felt as if they were being shown to me for some purpose beyond my own dream work. Subsequently, the images came with increasing frequency and clarity, until by early summer I was “dreaming” pieces of ritual as I hiked in the hills surrounding my village. When I became aware that these visions and dreams collectively represented a coming-of-age ritual, I knew that the ritual was meant for Nathan. I told him what had been happening and that I wanted to offer a ceremony to him as a gift, and he accepted.

In preparation, I showed him a basic breath meditation technique and gave him a series of individualized exercises to combine with the meditation, as well as a list of questions designed to inspire thought about where he fit into his community, his sense of responsibility toward the Earth and his own self-image. For the next 10 weeks, he worked with the exercises and questions he had been given.

Vermont is still one of the most rural of the lower 48 states. Populations of animals once thought to be locally extinct or greatly reduced, such as moose, coyotes and cougars, are actually increasing. However, it is primarily a landscape of small farms and biologically impoverished woodlot and forest regrowth. It hardly could be termed wilderness by today’s exacting standards.

Throughout the reforested hills, one comes across rusted barbed wire, stone walls, old cellar holes and the occasional relic of an old still or plough. A variety of conifers and hardwoods push through the debris of the last three centuries and deposit an ever-deepening carpet of leaves, which softly and slowly shrouds the evidence of abandoned agriculture until iron and steel implements become knit into the forest skeleton of glacial rocks and fallen tree trunks. Despite repeated attempts to reshape the landscape of Vermont to fit some more agriculturally or industrially productive model, the land and weather seem instead to reshape the people who come here. The magick and power of the Earth are very close to the surface.

It was through this landscape that we hiked to another beaver pond. The leaves were beginning to turn the flaming shades that make New England famous but had not yet begun to drop to the ground. For me, autumn is a time when the woods begin to hum with energy, peaking in early November, when the air is crackling with magick. The entire forest smells of summer’s sweet ripening, overlaid by the aroma of countless fungi. Nathan had selected the site for his ceremony, and a few days earlier as part of his “ordeal” carried in water, canvas tarps, a stack of cordwood and a number of melon-sized rocks for a sweat-lodge firepit. The morning we began, I arranged the camp, built a small sweat lodge and a somewhat larger sleeping lodge and screened the site with brush barriers jumbled into place to resemble natural blow-downs.

All of this preparation served to create a site that struck Nathan as new and unfamiliar when I removed his blindfold upon arrival. For the remainder of our stay, despite frosty mornings and one evening of drizzling rain, we were both naked, to continue the sense of being outside ordinary experience. By the end of our stay, we had both become so comfortable that it was equally startling to pull on clothing and cut off much of the contact between inner and outer environments.

Although I had initially described the ceremony we were beginning as a coming of age, I had begun to think of it in the terms of “bringing Nathan through” a transition between realities or worlds. It is difficult to say exactly where the pieces of ritual originated, and to a certain extent it does not matter, and I certainly did not question the process at the time. I worked with my own intuition, subconsciously assembling seemingly disparate pieces into a meaningful pattern. In retrospect, the pieces came from the six years I had known Nathan and his family, from a lifetime spent in the Eastern forests, from a long time study of European and other mythologies and folklore, from my own personal spiritual practices, from years of close work with Indigenous colleagues and friends and no doubt from the world of ancestors and the Earth Herself. I experienced the process as flowing and integrated and highly energizing. I opened myself to the inspiration fully and without question. I had a general sense of the order I wanted to follow, but many of the techniques I used to create transitions or to open doors of awareness occurred quite spontaneously and even astounded me at their effectiveness.

At times during the ritual, we would work at a particular exercise for a while with little result and then decide to move on to something else, as the approach was not working. During the night, I would then dream of a way to free the blocked energy and try the new method upon awakening to find it worked beautifully. By this point, Nathan and I had established such rapport with one another and the process that I would have been disappointed had the answer not come in the night.

The transition from childhood to manhood for Nathan was marked by discussion of responsibility and community, of family and self-image, of sexuality and spirit. The material we used to compose the three-day ritual was based upon universal practices (virtually all peoples on Earth have a sweat tradition somewhere in their history) and upon practices from Nathan’s own ethnic background, as far as he knew it. For some of the European Earth-centered ritual, we reached back to Ice Age symbolism and carried it through to its contemporary expression in the form of antler dances, which have been handed through European folk traditions in an unbroken chain. This unbroken chain is critical, because without cultural relevance ritual remains a superficial and rather alien exercise.

The first evening, Nathan became the fire keeper, and he began to consciously separate himself from his parents and his childhood. Because his parents were divorced, and because he had been having a great deal of trouble communicating with his father for some time, I “fathered” him that night by wrapping his shoulders in a blanket, holding him in my arms and telling him stories about my own childhood and adolescence.

Two days before we entered the woods, Nathan began a fruit and juice fast, and by the day we began, both he and I were on a juice and ginseng tea fast, which we maintained until the last night. The clarity brought about through fasting enabled us both to tune into subtle energies very easily. Working with breath meditation techniques for grounding and centering, I showed Nathan how to consciously pull Earth energy from the bedrock and up through his body and then reground it. Working with the exercises I had given him earlier, he channeled energy directly through his emotions, shifting from emotion to emotion at will. He was able to lean against a large pine and feel the energy coursing up and down beneath the bark, and we played games by passing energy back and forth between our palms.

In another part of my work with Nathan, I discussed sexuality. It seems important in these times of acute social and family dysfunction to prepare young people for the bewildering array of information, on-and-off relationships and poor communication surrounding them, and the intentional, subliminal attempts by Madison Avenue to confuse the areas of sexuality, consumerism, power and need. I wanted to address the fact that Nathan would be involved with others who might use sexuality as a manipulative tool. I explained to him that magick, Earth energy and sexual energy were all the same, and that with practice, a person could flow from one to the other at will. We talked about sex as a gift coming from Mother Earth, and a gift which two people bring together from their own places of joy, to share with one another. Although Nathan was inexperienced and my points were all theoretical for him at the time, I hoped that, later in life when he became sexually active, our conversation would come back to him and help him remain centered.

We talked also about how all life reflects itself in structure and intricacy throughout the levels of form and energy, from the atomic to the galactic. We used examples from Nathan’s upbringing on the land but examined them in the new light of Nature being magick and energy. I pulled back the top layers of leaf mulch to show Nathan the fungal hyphae – the network of white threads that constitute the true body of mushrooms and that serve to knit the forest ecosystem together through mycorhizzal connections between tree roots. We watched the beavers at dusk as they cut saplings down around our camp, and we marked the boundaries of our site by peeing on trees to keep raccoons and their ilk from raiding us.

We alternated between energy exercises and imagery, using dance and body painting to enact conscious transitions between points before and after becoming adult. At one point, Nathan was pulling energy directly from the Earth so quickly that his whole frame vibrated like a taut sail. At another time, I had him oil his entire body copiously and then go wait in the darkened sweat while meditating on his worst fears. Meanwhile I filled my hair with white clay and covered my body with black and red clay to become a monster. I shook the frame of the sweat and demanded he come out and face me. He chased me around and around the campsite while I jeered him for his timidity, and though he caught me several times, his oily body allowed me to slip out of his grasp. (Fear can be very elusive.) Finally, he covered his hands and arms with enough pine needles to wrestle me down and then dragged me into the pond, pushed me under and washed off the clay to unmask his fear and render it harmless.

At the end of our last day, I returned Nathan’s clothing to him and constructed a door-sized hoop of alder and oiled jute cord near the fire. Nathan put back on his clothing, which had been selected to represent portions of his childhood he would be leaving behind, and then stood by the fire. As he took each garment off again, he attached some qualities of his former self which he wished to grow beyond, and then consigned it to the fire. When he felt ready, I lit the hoop and pulled him through the flaming gateway into the adult world. I handed him a new set of clothes, which he decided to lay aside until the hike out, and we broke our fast together as brothers.

From the moment that Nathan stepped out of the woods, where his family and friends awaited him with a welcoming ceremony, he seemed different. He was far more self-assured, and his body language was more confident. His family and friends all commented upon the remarkable difference. For months afterward and even today, where previously he and his friends used to hang out in a fairly random arrangement of bodies and postures, his friends now cluster around him, as if oriented toward the warmth of a campfire. He tells me that he received compliments from a female friend in his high school as being one of the few males in their group who was in touch with his feelings.

On several occasions since that time, I have been with Nathan when he used the techniques he learned during his initiation to deal with an emotionally trying situation. Once when a mutual friend was slowly dying of cancer and we needed to be there for him in strength, I watched Nathan go outside on a bitter December night, ground himself and form a link between the Earth and stars until he was filled with clear energy. He came back inside and poured that energy into our friend, who visibly responded with renewed vigor for the next few hours.

Though for Nathan I was able to create a ritual that worked, there are a few fairly daunting obstacles to creating meaningful wilderness ritual in contemporary America. First, wilderness itself is in short supply, and by strict definition (that is, untouched by obvious human presence or activity) practically nonexistent. Second, for ritual to be meaningful it must not only contain recognizable symbolism that stirs the individual, but also that symbolism must be somehow culturally appropriate in order to have any deep meaning.

In addition, truly powerful ritual is not spontaneously created but must grow over time, as it is layered by repetition and cycles through generations. We are at a profound disadvantage in creating or finding such ritual in the industrialized world, particularly those of us in America who are descended from disjointed immigrant cultures. As if these issues were not sufficiently problematic, members of the dominant culture within industrialized society in the United States, primarily Euro-Americans, tend to carry a set of precepts about reality that create still more barriers between the individual and a rewarding expression of spirituality through ritual. A good place to begin the search for meaning and ceremony is an examination of our own cultural attitudes.

Here are a few attitudes which I have found necessary to revise in order to make room for spiritually fulfilling and Earth-focused ritual:

1. We assume wilderness does not include people. This attitude is a uniquely Western perspective based in large part upon (male) domination of “virginal” lands. It creates a perpetual separation between humanity and the rest of natural life, a system of law that does not recognize aboriginal tenure of wildlands and a philosophy that “improves” land by destroying it. Conversely, when we can see that the majority of human cultures have coexisted with wildlands, that traditional societies practice sustainable management and that the wilderness experienced by European explorers was simply land where other peoples implemented sophisticated wildlife and land management the Europeans did not understand, we can drop the mystique of the great uninhabited wilderness and begin to develop a more nurturing relationship between ourselves and the Earth, wherever we may live. Don’t wait for a trip to the Yukon or the Sierras to get in touch with your spirit. Go out in your yard and sit with the dandelions.

2. We assume that, when creating or recreating Earth-based rituals, it’s acceptable to appropriate bits and pieces from other cultures to assemble something new. This is a very touchy subject. Traditional peoples who have had virtually every other aspect of their lives appropriated as “resources” by industrialized society are tired of being mined for their rituals. At the same time, people who are still spiritually in touch with the Earth wish others would get the message and stop plundering the planet. As heirs to the cultural dismemberment that accompanies industrialization, many of us are aching to fill the spiritual void we feel. When we come into contact with traditions or imagery that suggest a stronger and mystical connection to the Earth, we are attracted and want them for ourselves. Many of us are so disenchanted or appalled by the direction our own society has taken we want to jump ship for a way of life that seems more in tune with our values.

The problem is that no matter how far we may run, we still carry with us most of our Westernized, urbanized, industrialized attitudes. Many such attitudes are problematic, such as the idea that if we see something we like, we can simply take it or buy it. We have also been conditioned to concentrate on the image or surface of what we encounter while ignoring the content, so when we encounter traditional ritual we feel that if we can somehow possess the trappings of ceremony we have the key to the door of spirituality. But spirit comes from within, and the material symbols that a people evolves to use in ritual are just that: symbols. They signify complex concepts that can only be understood by persons raised within the traditions to which they belong. Further, traditional Indigenous spirituality and ceremony are inseparable from culture and geography, since all have coevolved and are mutually reinforcing. In addition, Earth-based spirituality is by its very nature more visceral than conceptual. It cannot be analyzed; it must be felt. No matter how much we want it, no matter how much we are willing to pay, no matter how loudly we protest or how facile our justifications and denial, if it isn’t ours we cannot truly have it.

The idea of unequivocal inaccessibility is one that our cultural biases find extremely difficult to accept. It’s a mind-wrenching concept. Here is another one: In our lifetimes, we may not ever see the creation of ceremony, rituals and traditions that both belong to us and have a power and relevance equal to those of our Indigenous neighbors. However, if we start now our great-grandchildren may share a spiritual groundedness that approaches what we strive for. The lag comes from the time required to repeat and layer ceremony through many seasonal cycles and human generations before it truly roots itself as traditional ritual.

This is not to say that we cannot devise an entire constellation of personally fulfilling and spiritually engaging rituals right now. But which material we choose to work with makes a significant difference between deluding ourselves and disrespecting our neighbors on the one hand, and reconnecting with our own birthrights on the other. In my opinion, when we find ourselves attracted by Indigenous spiritual ways, the healthy attitude is one of inspiration, not emulation.

3. We assume our own, often European, traditions of celebrating the Earth and its cycles are lost in time – in other words, “you can’t go back.” It may come as a surprise to consider that the Western concept of time as linear and irreversible is only a cultural perspective, but so it is. In fact, for many of the very cultures that have attracted attention lately, time runs in cycles, or flows in many directions, or even allows past, present and future to occupy the same space. Certainly for all of our ancestors, time flowed differently than it does today. When we open ourselves to the possibility of time behaving differently than we have been taught, then the traditions of our own ancestry, our birthrights, become immediately more accessible. Certainly unraveling the tangles of lineage may take some work, but any single line will eventually lead back to a point when the people were Indigenous, in tune with the Earth, and when they celebrated their spirituality with meaningful rituals, rituals rightfully our own. It certainly is no greater stretch to rediscover, reclaim or rebuild meaningful cultural and spiritual ties to an ancestor from Friesland, the Czech Republic, Romania or Scotland, or for that matter Lascaux, than it is for a Euro-American to legitimately lead an Ojibwe or Lakota sweat lodge.

The question is really not one of going back in time. It is one of getting back on track.

On the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram

On the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram

by Tim Maroney

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram is one of the chief rituals of Western Magick. It has been with us at least since the Golden Dawn of the nineteenth century, and it has penetrated into all the many Golden Dawn spinoffs, including Neo-Paganism. Yet there is still no widely available, clear instruction. The directions of the magical orders are mere mnemonics for those who are assumed to have personal instructors. To formulate my personal approach to the ritual, to aid any others who may be considering practicing the LBR, and to satisfy the idle curiosity of any gawking onlookers, I have put together this short discussion of the ritual and its symbolism and performance.

A. Intent of the Ritual

The real action of a magick ritual takes place in the mind. Ritual is a form of moving meditation. The effect is also primarily psychological.* The LBR is a tool to facilitate meditation.

[*Not all players would agree with this statement. Many would say that the effect of the LBR is a fortified and cleansed area on the astral plane, which they think is as real as Hoboken, if not more so. It doesn’t really matter in practice.]

The experience of a proper LBR is pleasurable and soothing, yet energizing and empowering. One is made at home in the mystical realm, protected from lurkers and phantasms by strongly imagined wards. This solace from mundane experience is a precondition for more serious works of meditation or ritual, but it can also form a healthy part of the life of the mind by itself.

B. The Ritual

I’ll just reprint the description of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram from Liber O, a publication of the occult order A.’.A.’.

  1. Touching the forehead, say “Ateh (Unto Thee).”
  2. Touching the breast, say Malkuth (The Kingdom).”
  3. Touching the right shoulder, say “ve-Geburah (and the Power).”
  4. Touching the left shoulder, say “ve-Gedulah (and the Glory),
  5. Clasping the hands upon the breast, say “le-Olahm, Amen (To the Ages, Amen).”
  6. Turning to the East, make a pentagram (that of Earth) with the proper weapon (usually the Wand). Say (i.e. vibrate) “IHVH” (Ye-ho-wau*).
  7. Turning to the South, the same, but say “ADNI” (Adonai).
  8. Turning to the West, the same, but say “AHIH” (Eheieh).
  9. Turning to the North, the same, but say “AGLA” (Agla).
  10. Extending the arms in the form of a cross say:
  11. “Before me Raphael;
  12. Behind me Gabriel;
  13. On my right hand Michael;
  14. On my left hand Auriel;
  15. For about me flames the Pentagram,
  16. And in the Column stands the six-rayed Star.”
  17. until xxi. Repeat steps (i) to (v), the “Qabalistic Cross.”

[* Modern scholarship has a different take on the pronunciation of the Big Guy’s name. I use “Yahweh” rather than the “Ye-ho-wau” of Liber O because that’s what the Catholic priests of my youth taught me to say, and I’ve never been able to shake it off. Use whatever pronunciation you prefer, or a different name altogether.]

C. Politics of the Ritual

With practice, you will no doubt come up with your own style of performance, and your own different symbolism for ritual acts. Different people do rituals as differently as actors play parts, even though the lines and motions may be fundamentally the same. (The alternative is an authoritarian, dogmatic horror which is alien to the deep occult understanding of religion, but is still common in magical groups.) Slavish imitation will get you nowhere in Magick — except, perhaps, to some high spiritual degree!

The Christianity — or at least angelic monotheism — of the ritual symbolism may give a start to some. Many of us involved in occultism have strongly negative feelings about Christianity. These are perhaps justified, but there are a few saving graces here.

First, as with any ritual, you should feel free to make it yours, to mess around with it. If you don’t start to at least play with the styles of a ritual after a while, you are probably not doing it very well. It is perfectly legitimate to substitute cognate symbols at any time. However, the saying in the martial arts is that one first learns another’s style, and after mastering it, moves on to create one’s own. For a beginner, it will be easiest simply to use an existing ritual form in order to explore the meaning of a banishing ritual.

Given that experience, which transcends any mere set of symbols, one may devise a form more in keeping with the emergence of one’s personal style. For instance, Neo-Pagans use a highly reified form of the same basic ritual in many of their traditions, but with non-Christian deities, spirits, and heros at the quarters. Aleister Crowley wrote a new version which made the performance more dancelike, and used the names of Thelemic deities and officers rather than monotheist gods and angels. My private version, called “Opening the Threshold”, is entirely atheistic and philosophical.

In any case, of those people who so abhor Christianity, how many have looked at some of the practices of historical pagans in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas? No religion should ever be “accepted” by an occultist. When using any religion’s symbolism, the adept should cut to its sacred poetical core and discard the political dross. By this standard, Christianity looks about as good as any other religion. Without this standard and by factoring in historical excesses and power plays, almost all known religions look just about as bad as Christianity.

In other words, someone who will happily use Norse gods, Arthurian heroes, Taoist immortals, Voudoun loas, or what have you in rituals, but will never touch a Christian angel, is guilty of the same narrowness he or she probably imparts to the Christians.

The Vibration of God-Names

In the LBR, the vibration of the god-names “charges” or “enlivens” the pentagrams in the air. This is difficult to describe, but easy to recognize. There is a feeling of presence in one of these charged warding images — though not necessarily a feeling of true externality or separate intelligence. Weare told to “vibrate” the names. The description and illustration of the “vibration” given in Liber O have been known to mislead people into hilarious postures. What the picture most resembles is the skulking monster from the movie The Mummy. To the modern eye, it is remarkable how truly unclear a photograph can be. I didn’t learn how to vibrate a god-name until I signed up with yet another occult order and was taught it in person. I wouldn’t wish the ensuing experience on anyone, so here is a description which I hope will be adequate in print.

Vibration phase i — The Sign of the Enterer (1-4)

1. Stand upright. Blow all the air out of your lungs. Hold your arms straight out at your sides.

2a. Close your eyes and inhale nasally, imagining that the breath is the name. The exact nature of this imagination differs from person to person. Thus, you imagine yourself inhaling the name into your lungs.

2b. As you inhale, sweep your forearms smoothly and deliberately up so that your fists rest on your temples.

3. Imagine the breath moving down through your torso slowly, and through your pelvis, your legs, and finally to the soles of your feet. (Don’t do this so slowly that you are hurting for air when the name reaches your feet!)

4a. The instant the inhaled vibrational name hits the soles of your feet, imagine it rushing back up and out.

4b. Simultaneously, throw yourself forward, thrusting your left foot forward about twelve inches (or thirty centimeters) and catching yourself on it. Your hands shoot forward, together, like a diver. You bend forward at the waist so that your torso winds up parallel to the floor.

4c. The air in your lungs should be blown out through your nose at the same time, but imagine the name shooting out straight ahead.

Steps 3-4 are known as the Sign of the Enterer, or of Horus. This symbolizes powerful active energy. The Enterer should be something of a “rush”. The vibrational name is projected outwards into more tangible manifestation — in this case, in the pentagrams of the LBR, which are charged by the force of the projected god-names.

It is highly inadvisable to omit the portion of step(4b) which reads “catching yourself on it.” But again, I have no desire to infringe on your freedom of choice.

Vibration phase ii — The Sign of Silence (5)

5. Finally, withdraw into a standing position, left arm hanging at your side, right forefinger on lips, left foot pointing ninety degrees out from the body.

Step 5 is called the Sign of Silence, or of Harpocrates. This Egyptian god was mistakenly believed (at the turn of the century) to pertain to silence, because his finger or thumb was touching his lips. This gesture is now believed to be a symbol of childhood; this correction appears in the World card of Crowley’s “Book of Thoth” Tarot deck. Harpocrates was the god of the Sun at dawn, and so symbolizes wonder, beauty, potential, growth. So, step 5 may be done in this academically corrected light instead.

However, the “hush” gesture of the Golden Dawn Sign of Silence is adequate for the modern occultist, even if deprived of A Divine Identification. It is a common gesture, at least in the European culture, meaning silence. Silence perhaps balances the ultra-active Sign of the Enterer better than does the more scholarly positive/active “Sign of Harpocrates the Rising Sun”, and silence is surely no alien concept to mystics.

The Invocation

The pentagrams are given form by the drawing, life by the vibration, identity by the four-part prayer of steps (x) to (xiv). Some people do very elaborate visualizations of angelic guardians on each of (xi) to (xiv). Because of my tragic personal deficiencies, I am content with strong feelings of presence, identity, and divinity in each of the four directions.

A horizontal cross is built up step by step as you say, “Before me Raphael”, etc, with you at the center; and the position of your arms forms a vertical cross, a renewal of the Qabalistic Cross from the start of the ritual. You may feel a quite peculiar rising and expansion when both of these crosses are formulated. One has become the center of the geometry of the space, and it is like a little world in itself, cut adrift from the mundane currents of everyday experience.

Steps (xv) and (xvi) are when the real banishing takes place, during “For about me flames the pentagram, and in the column stands the six-rayed star.” A great pulse of force is emitted during these steps, imposing the personal will on the space and clearing it of all hostile influences.

After this is done, the invoked “archangels” maintain the banishing effect, guarding in all four directions. Of course this talk of angels is all bullshit — the importance lies in the psychological effect. Whether there “really is” an archangel standing there keeping out inimical spirits is not important. The “feeling of cleanliness” is what matters.

Concluding Cross

The final Qabalistic Cross is an affirmation of the completeness and symmetry of the ritual, and also a new self-consecration. This is more efficacious than the previous Cross because it is done in a banished environment.

One is now ready to do a formal invocation, an evocation, a meditation, or whatever the overall purpose may be. The LBR is a preliminary ceremony, although it has a beneficial effect in itself. It can profitably be done as a stand-alone ritual, but you should move on. The LBR should keep away the horrible ickies that turn so many novices away from Magick. Its mastery is a first step to adeptship.

A Mabon rite outline

A Mabon rite outline

(soon to be a major Mabon Ritual, at a terminal near you.)

General Mabon info to start with, set the mood &c…

What is Mabon?

Mabon, sometimes known as the Harvest/Thanksgiving ritual of the Autumn Equinox, is one of the Spokes of the Wheel of the Year. In the many Earth or Pagan Religions, a special kinship with the passing of the seasons is felt… this is usually due to the history of said traditions, most of which stem from agrarian cultures where the seasons marked the way of life. From planting to reaping to winter to summer… the seasons were of great importance to our ancestors, for their very existence depended upon good harvests, mild winters, enough rainfall, and the like.

So… having shown the importance of the seasons, we shall turn to Mabon itself. Autumn… harvest time… the reaping of what was sown and cared thru during the year. A time of thankfulness and rejoicing. So, of course, someone at some point in time must have said… “Now that the work is over… LET’S PARTY!!!”

This is the essence of Mabon. Rejoicing in a bountiful harvest, thanking the Gods for being so kind during the year, and, hopefully, helping in winning over the Gods’ favor for the coming year.

About the Mabon rite itself:

Now, this will be a very Discordian ritual in that each participant will be (more or less) writing his/her own part. This outline is provided to sorta nudge (nudge, wink, wink, say no more, sir, say no more!) people into making their individual pieces able to fit into the whole thing… (I feel like the Green Ball outta “Heavy Metal”, the movie, something which ties things together).
Back to the rite itself.

Basically, 6 personages will be represented: Callers or Watchers of the East, South, West and North, High Priest (HP) and High Priestess (HPS).

Of course, since this is a generic rite, the terms “Lord” and “Lady” will be used when referring to the Male and Female aspects of divinity/godhood/whatever… individuals may use which ever names they wish, for a Rose, by any other name, would still smell as sweet.

Outline:

  1. Invocation… once everybody has arrived, a Circle shall be cast, more or less, and the 4 Watchers/Callers each get to do their thing invoking that which that direction symbolizes to come and attend the festivities. After which, either the HPS, HP or both would consecrate the circle… in our case… the circle will be around each person at their ‘puter… with a sense of being connected to each other via the others’ ‘puters. So… what we’ll do is… after the circle is cast, and the four Corners have done their things, then the HP will call upon the Lord to attend, and the HPS shall call upon the Lady, (or, if we want to be different, we can have the HP call the Lady, and the HPS call the Lord… it’s not as traditional, but I know of some Ladies who are more likely to pay attention to a young, handsome HP than any HPS, if you get my meaning [wink]). 
  2. Once invoked… it’s time for the thanksgiving part… we all got things we’re thankful for… now’s the chance.
  3. After the thanks are over, a customary requesting of blessing for the coming year is asked.
  4. That done with, it’s time to dismiss the summoned ones… first, around the circle… each corner doing it’s thing… the dismissal consists of a Hail to the being summoned, a flattery (as I call it), and then a structured dismissal (eg. “Air of the East… blah, blah, blah,… Go if thou must, but stay if thou wilt”). The HP and HPS dismiss the Lord and Lady last with similar words.
  5. PARTY TIME!!!! Get out the Beer, munchies, what have you… celebrate… you’ve earned it. 

Preparing for Celtic Magick

Preparing for Celtic Magick

 
 
Preparation for ritual magick of any kind requires the self-discipline and techniques learned from concentration, focusing visualization and meditation. If you desire to obtain physical manifestation from your efforts, it is essential that you actually do and practice these exercises.
 
Concentration is holding an image or idea in your mind without interruption. It is of great importance during rituals when you must exclude everthing not directly related to what you are doing. No thoughts of the day’s happenings, no extraneous noise, must be allowed to dominate your attention for any length of time. If such things do intrude, they must be immediately dismissed as unimportant at the moment.
 
To strengthen your powers of concentration, you will need to practice two exercises. The first exercise is done with a minimum of supplies. Light a candle and set it on a table before you. Sit comfortably and look at the flame. It is easiest on the eyes to look at the blue around the lower part of the wick instead of bright upper flame. Do not stare; blink your eyes whenever you need to. After a few minutes, close your eyes and look for the flame. You will see it against your closed eyelids. Keep your thoughts on that flame image, and see how long you can maintain the mental picture before your conscious mind begins to intrude.
 
The second exercise is much the same, but uses a picture instead of a candle. Choose a picture that pleases you. Tarot cards are especially good for this. Stand or hang the picture at a comfortable level and look at it for sometime. Close your eyes and see if you can discern a mental image against your eyelids. Hold that image as long as you can.
 
Focusing is important to ritual magick as it is the process of adjusting your “inner eye” or attention on a particular object or goal. You must have a clear idea or picture of what you wish to produce while doing magick. This is very similar to concentration but more refined. An idea is harder to hold in the mental realms than a reflected picture.

It is not necessary to visualize a goal in absolute detail. Too much detail tends to limit the manifestation, especially if you could have had something better. Know what you want, but never restrict yourself. The Gods may be more generous to you than you are to yourself.
 
Focusing and concentrating on performance during ritual will channel your mental powers, thereby clarifying and strengthening the function. The act of casting and consecrating a magickal circle must have focus and concentration if it is to be done properly. If you fail to do this the circle will not provide you with the neutral are in which to perform magick, and most certainly will not give you protection.
 
Again, using the picture or card, this time elicit all associated images. See if you can create movement within the picture.
 
Go through the same exercise with the candle flame, this time changing the size, height and color of the flame. Summon up associated images and follow them through. Some startling ideas have come out of such exercises.
 
Meditation is a great aid to centering yourself, controlling destructive emotions and gaining insight. But it should also bring a greater sense of awareness and increase your ability to visualize. All of these skills are necessary in the practice of magick, especially if you want feasible results.
 
Meditation is really not a complicated exercise, unless you lack self-control. If you do, you need meditation more than ever. Relaxing, smooth music is an excellent background to help mask minor noises and help you relax. Turn off the telephone, hang a “do not disturb” sign on the door, and choose a comfortable chair.
 
Listen to the music while taking a few deep breaths. Relax and let yourself unwind. Next mentally surround yourself with white light for protection. Imagine yourself standing on a wooden bridge over a calm pond. Drop all your problems into the water, and watch it close over them. This is a symbolic release that tells your subconscious mind that you need an answer to solve these troubles. Then visualize yourself walking on across the bridge, leaving everything behind.

To continue the meditation, project yourself into a meadow on the other side of the bridge. A small stream runs through the grass and flowers. Shady trees surround it. Wander through the meadow, soaking up the peacefulness and healing. You may see people or nature spirits. Talk with them if you like.
 
As long as you remain objective and do not push to hear what you want to hear, you can receive very accurate guidance while in meditation. If you strain to hear what you want, you will get only messages from your conscious mind, which does not believe in what you are doing.

When in meditation, you are in an astral state. Therefore, it is always possible that at some time you will meet a being that makes you fearful or uncomfortable. If this should happen, recall the white light and leave.
 
You will be able to escape the meditation any time you choose. Simply become aware of your body and open your eyes. As during ritual, time in meditation is non-existent. Time is a limited idea belonging to the left brain and conscious mind. When working with the right brain and subconscious mind, time has no meaning at all.
 
The symbolism of dropping your problems into the pond is essential. It is never a good idea to go into meditation without doing this, just as it is imprudent not to use the white light. Both are protective measures to eliminate taking negative vibrations into an otherwise productive exercise.
 
Celtic Magic
D. J. Conway

Understanding Celtic Magick

Understanding Celtic Magick

 
To the Celtic peoples, magick was as common as breathing. It was not something set aside for special occasions anymore than was their beautiful twisting artwork. Like their intricate designs that decorated even ordinary utensils, magick was a part of everyday life.
 
The Celts had no difficulty reconciling materialism and spiritual insights because they clearly understood that each is present in the other, that matter is only solidified spirit. Today, we have trouble accepting that magickal law. Our minds have been bombarded by prejudiced opinions until we have become programmed to believe a blend of the material and spiritual is impossible. We have been taught an error: that to be spiritual one cannot be materialistic. In defining materialistic I mean concerned with material well-being, not controlled by material things. By continuing to believe this lie, we place ourselves within a tightly-bound area that prohibits us from manifesting by magick, what we need in our lives.
 
Ritual magick removes this programming sometimes with drastic effect in an unprepared person. The practice of magick will quickly bring out the hidden side of any magician. That is why it is so important for a magician to really, truthfully, know him or herself and exercise self discipline.
 
RItual magick is merely the taking of energy from another plane of existence and weaving that energy, by specific thoughts, words, and practices, into a desired physical form or result in this plane of existence. The whole idea of magick is to contact various energy pools that exists in a dimension other than our own. Magicians do this deliberately because these energies add a vast amount of power to the energy for manifestation. that we hold within ourselves. The prime purpose of ritual is to create a change, and we cannot do that without the combination of these energies. We need the assistance of those energy pools, which can be called gods, deities and elementals.

Everything used during ritual is a symbol of an energy that exists on another plane. Whether or not the magician properly connects with that specific energy and believes he or she can work magick depends upon how well he or she understands its representative symbol which is used on this plane or world. Study of, and meditation on, ritual symbols is an important part of training.
 
In order to bring through the energy of the gods or energy pools, the magician must set up a circuit of communication along which that power can flow. This is done by ritual use of symbols, ritual itself, visualization and meditation. To keep the incoming power from dissipating before being directed toward a particular goal, rituals are performed with a cast and consecrated circle. This provides a neutral energy area which will not siphon off or dissipate the incoming energy.
 
To correctly contact the appropriate energy pool, the magician uses as many symbols as possible that represent a specific deity power. For example, he or she will choose a color, incense, plant, stones, and statue or picture to help his or her visualization.
 
The ability to visualize is extremely important, as the magician must invoke, or call into him or herself, a godform (also called an archetypal energy pool). However, you must realize that you can never invoke the entire power of such an archetypal being into your physical body. Trying to do that would destroy your physical form. That much potent energy simply can never be contained within such a limited mundane structure as the human body. You would not try to use a 440 volt line when a 110 volts is called for. It is rare that total inflow of energy is ever achieved. The gods and magickal laws prohibit this from ordinarily happening.
 
Also be aware that if you consistently call upon one particular deity power to the exclusion of all others, you will eventually begin to manifest characteristics of that energy pool within your personality. If this is done correctly in order to gain positive results, these changes will become an important part of your magickal personality. If not, they can cause changes of a negative kind.


At the end of each ritual, the godform or power is dismissed so that it can manifest the desire formed during the ritual. This enables the magician to gain the manifestation for which the ritual was done and also to be able to function in the physical world again. To continue holding the power after the ritual is completed would make it impossible for you to live a normal life.
 
Ritual magick helps to open the doors to your creative mind and the subconscious. To effectively do magick one must get the creative side of the mind, or right brain, to operate uninhibited by the analytical left brain. This is accomplished by consistent routine of visualization and meditation.
 
The dominant left brain generally maintains control. It is closely connected with the conscious mind and deals totally with what is calls reality or this world. It is the side of the brain that makes us feel guilty and criticizes us for things we do or do not do.
 
The creative right brain pertains entirely to what we call imagination, or other worlds. It is artistic, visualizing. It is the powerful belief formed in this are of the mind that contacts the deity energy pools and creates manifestation.
 
One of the first things a magician must do is reprogram his or her subconscious mind to eliminate all the old messages of failure and dissatisfaction that are recorded there. From infancy we are programmed by everyone around us with words and actions that express displeasure or approval. Unfortunately, this programming continues throughout life. Therefore, it is important to choose friends carefully at all ages so that the ideas of limitations and failures are kept to a minimum. This programming can be changed into positive actions by the use of certain techniques during meditation.
 
The right brain and the subconscious mind perform best when presented with symbols, since symbology is the language of the creative mind. During ritual, the left brain is lulled into a sense of control by the chants, tools, candles and movements; all tangible, logical things. The left brain becomes so involved that it forgets to monitor the right brain. As the same time these tools and activities become symbols to the right brain for use in its creative work.
 
Emotion is important in ritual magick. Not fluctuating emotions, but controlled emotions. The more emotionally involved you are during spellwork, the more effective the manifestation. There must be a strong desire in order for a manifestation to take place.


Repetition also plays an important part in manifestation and ritual work. Certain numbers hold mystical power; these numbers are 3, 5, 7, and 9. The ancient Celts were well aware of the significance of repetition and numbers. By repeating rituals or spellwork 3, 5, 7, or 9 times consecutively, the creative activity of the right brain and subconscious mind is reinforced. Repetition becomes the pleasure-pain motivator that influences the creative mind to bring forth the desired manifestation.
 
The number thirteen is very ancient, and is the prime number of importance among the WIccan religion. Traditionally, the seventh son of a seventh son, or the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, was said to be born witch or magician. There is also an old belief that certain years in a person’s life are years of great importance or destiny. These were considered by the odd numbers of 3. 5. 7. and 9.
 
Among the Celts and Druids, the number three was of great significance. It was considered the balance between two extremes. The Druids even expressed their lore in triads. The Druidic symbol was the Tribann, or the Three Rays of Light. The shamrock symbolized this belief, long before St. Patrick used it to explain the Christian doctrine.
 
The importance of numbers is also shown in the relationship between certain numbers and the planets: Sun, 1 and 4; Moon, 2 and 7; Jupiter, 3; Mercury, 5; Venus, 6; Saturn, 8; and Mars, 9.
 
To effectively work magick, you must believe you can cause things to happen, that you have the power within you to change your life. Until you can reprogram your subconscious mind to believe this, manifestations will take longer to come into being.
 
To begin the changes needed to really believe you can do magick, you must begin by working on your hidden or inner self. You must change bad habits: negative thoughts of yourself, lying, cheating, stealing, broken promises, addictive habits. As you start to create changes in the inner self, you will find that magickal results flow more freely. Your life will manifest health, happiness and prosperity.
 
Some schools of magickal thought will tell you that doing magick for yourself is selfish and wrong. This is an erroneous idea held over from Judeo Christian beliefs and has nothing whatsoever to do with ritual magick and spellworking. The truth is, if you cannot manifest for yourself, you have little chance of manifesting for others.
 
This brings us to one great rule of morality in magick: Do what you will if you harm no being. You never really benefit by deliberately harming another creature through magick. The eventual backlash of karma is not worth the risk. However, one must also look at the opposite side, what happens if evil is left to flourish? In Wicca it is believed that allowing a wrong or evil to exist unhampered is harmful to everybody.
 
There are many ways to solve a problem with troublesome people through the use of positive magick. By no means should you be a doormat when it comes to protecting yourself and your loved ones. Be creative in doing protective spellwork. Brainstorm on paper, if necessary, until you are certain you are aware of all the options, have not limited yourself or destructively harmed others. It is essential to think through your reasons for doing magick.
 
The “Four Powers of the Magus (Magician)” is a very old teaching in magick. It is: to know, to dare, to will, to be silent. To know means to gain the knowledge to do ritual magick; to dare to practice it; to will the manifestation; and to keep silent about what you are doing. The last part is especially important. Talking about magick diffuses its energy flow. Silence also keeps unsympathetic people from directing negative thought towards your effort. People who talk about their magickal operations never ahieve real magick. I firmly believe that a copy of the Four Powers and the Wiccan law of morality should be in every ritual room.
 
The ancient Latin names for the Four Powers of the Magus were: noscere, audere, velle and tacere. It was believed that to be balanced, all these powers had to be present in the magician. There is also a correspondence between the Four Powers and the Four Elements. Noscere(know) corresponds to Air; audere(dare) to Water; velle(will) to Fire; and tacere(silence) to Earth. A fifth power ire(to progress or evolve) corresponds to Spirit.
 
The Celts knew the powers of the Moon phases and used them. In fact, their calendar was based on the lunar year. It is traditional that spellworking for the decrease or removal of problems takes place from after the Full Moon until the New Moon, with the day or night of the New Moon being strongest. Spellworking for increase, growth and gain takes place from after the New Moon until the Full Moon with they or night of the Full Moon being the most powerful.
 
It is logical that the Moon should affect your body and emotions just as it affects the tides of the Earth. After all, most of the human body is made up of water or liquids. The type of energy from the phases of the Moon conceivably will be reflected in your bodies. It is better for magick to work with the flow of Moon energy than against it.
 
Celtic magick basically works with and employs the powers of planetary and natural energies. It is a magick that is in harmony with our planet, indded with our very being. It is a magick that can change your life.
 
 
“Celtic Magic”
D. J. Conway

Circle Casting

Circle Casting

Why do we cast a circle? We cast a circle for protection from what may be attracted to what we are doing. There are times when spirits that do not wish us to succeed will be drawn by the power that we raise during a circle. Sometimes it is beneficial to cast a circle to lay down a boundary between the ill will that pagans sometimes encounter as they walk on their path. The circle itself is a reminder that we are now in a different time and space, and that this space is special.

The circle is a container as well. It is used to hold the energy that is raised until it is time to release it to whatever end we are working towards. If it was not there, the energy that we raised would have to be directed into a container rather than letting it swirl around in the one that has already been created. It is far easier to tell if there has been enough energy raised when you are moving directly through it than it is to tell if there is enough in the container.

Finally, the circle exists as a link to the people that have cast circles and gathered together in the past, and a link to those that will cast them in the future. It is a continuation of a chain that has evolved over thousands of years, passing information on and down throughout the ages. While there are very few religions that can trace their roots back into antiquity, it is undeniable that there are traces of those religions left, and that there are rites and ideas that have been passed down from one person to another throughout those long years. The circle is our way of trying to connect to those times gone by and it is our legacy to our children and their children for years to come.

Whether your circle has a physical boundary, a boundary of thought, or whether it is simply a grove of trees that is circular, the ideas are still there. The circle is a construct of the mind, an idea that passes between groups. It is the idea of a scares space and sacred time.

Why do we do ritual? Ritual is a way of trying to connect to something that is greater than the self. It is a link to other people and other beings; a link to times past and future. When people come together to celebrate their idea of the sacred, it is a sharing of something that is intangible and profound. It is a way to experience the divine that surrounds us in nature and is a part of ourselves that is not always understood. Ritual is a time for joy to be expressed in the celebration of the seasons and a time for sorry to be shared in the cycles of life that take our friends and loved ones from us and a time for everything in between.

It seems almost innate for people to come together to share this idea of the sacred. While the idea of what sacred is varies from people to people, there are very few cultures that do not espouse some version of the ideas of the sacred being a time set apart from secular life. Many cultures choose to make the goals of the two similar, thus ensuring that both are successful. Religion, it would seem, is something that is almost an inborn need of humans, a way of processing the things that we do not understand and of being able to celebrate them.

Why do we place the elements of ritual in a particular order? The simple answer is that it makes it easy for more than one person to follow what is happening when there is a common order to what is being done. The not so simple answer is that there is a logical progression from start to end to rituals that allow people to perform their rites in the simplest and easiest manner possible, allowing more people to participate.

Paganism is a group of religions that tends to frown on a centralized religious structure, and so it is important that more people be able to perform these rituals. Simplicity and structure gives the ability of those who do not wish to spend years mastering the smallest component of a ritual to participate as well. Common sense also plays a part in the order of a ritual. For most people, it makes sense to cast a circle and cut it off from the world outside before inviting the gods and elements as it is somewhat rude to make them stand around and wait, or call them and then cut them off from the ritual as you cast your circle. Some, however, find that it makes more sense to cleanse and purify the area, bring everyone in, and then cast the circle and invite the gods. Still others call the gods first and then cast the circle. As with anything, each person must decide what works best for them and why.

Where do we place things in a ritual? When thinking about where to place an event in a ritual, it is necessary to examine that event to find out what the results might be, or the reason that it is being done. If you are going to Draw Down the Moon (Call a Goddess into a person), then you need to consider just how tiring this is going to be for that person. Will they want to run and jump around to raise energy after? Is the Goddess likely to want that sort of thing?

If a person were going to do a drawing down for a God and Goddess, doing that before the Great Rite would make sense as it is a rite that takes the opposites of male and female and uses that polarity to make the rite that much stronger. Ritual creation takes the ability to think about the small details such as this and form them into a larger, successful whole.

How do we know when it is right to do something and when it is not? Start to decide this by thinking of the outcome of the ritual. What is the purpose that you are getting together for? If you are doing a healing, it would be good to invite gods that have that particular aspect. If you are doing a binding or a deconsecration, choose gods that deal with endings. If you are celebrating Beltaine, a fertility holiday, don’t invoke a Crone goddess who is past her fertile years.

The yardstick that any witch must use in creating a ritual is “Does it make sense to do it this way?” If it does not make sense, then find a different way of doing the event that does. There is no limit to what can be done with ritual. There is no right or wrong way to do a ritual. If it does not make sense to call the quarters, then don’t. Because something has always been done need not mean that it should always be done. Similarly, don’t throw out tradition unless it makes sense to do so.

Copyright © 2000, Jet Blackthorn

Elemental Banishing

Elemental Banishing

 
Elemental banishing is a little more complex way to clean an area of the negative influences that reside there. It should only be done within a cast circle. This is an ideal way to prepare a new living space before you move in. It will take away any remnants of the old tenants that were there before you and let you move into a fresh, new space.
 
Cast a circle as you normally would. Before you call the elements to attend, take your athame to the west side of the circle and face outwards. Draw a banishing pentagram (point downward towards the earth) and then re-center the athame into the middle of it. Push the athame slowly outward while pushing outward with your own energy, ordering, “Go, or be cast into the depths of the flood!”
 
Move to the south and repeat your actions, saying, “Go, or be cast into the flames!”

Move to the east and pause to gather yourself and close the circle before drawing the final pentagram and saying, “Go, or be rent by the grinding earthquakes!”

Move to the north and repeat your actions, saying, “Go, or be torn apart by the whirlwind!”

Turn back into the center and yell, “I (we) banish you! I banish you! I banish you! BEGONE!” while clapping and clattering and making a great deal of noise.

At this point, you can proceed with the rest of the ritual that has been planned, starting with invoking the elements to bless the circle

 

Cakes and Wine

Cakes and Wine

 
A pair of people generally does this. Any two people that work well together, regardless of gender or sexual orientation can do it. It can also be done by one person if they work solitary. The example that follows is done by a man and a woman simply because that is the way that I am most familiar with and feel the most empathy with. I encourage you to play with different combinations to see what works best for you. Each one will feel different.
 
The people that are blessing the cakes and wine should go to the altar and kneel there. The woman picks up her athame and hands the cup to the man. He places it between them as the woman raises the blade above the cup, held in both hands. Then both center themselves and connect with each other before proceeding.
 
Woman: Let my worship be in the heart that rejoices.
Man: And let my worship be in the heart that brings bounty to the earth.
Woman: Let there be Honor and Humility within you.
Man: Let there be Beauty and Strength within you.
Woman: Let there be Power and Compassion within you.
Man: Let there be Mirth and Reverence within you.
 
Woman: As the Lance is to Man,
Man: And the Grail is to Woman,
Woman: Let each find themselves whole in the other.
Man: For there is nothing greater in this world
Together: (As priestess lowers the athame into the cup) Than when the two are made one in Truth and their bounty is poured out upon the earth. (Priest and Priestess kiss to bless the union.)
 
If there is more than one cup to be passed, and this is recommended with large groups, split the blessed wine into all of them, leaving a bit as an offering and add more wine to fill the other cups. Leave a small amount of extra wine to bless the bread. The priest takes one of the cups and holds it for the priestess to drink, and then she returns the blessing by holding the cup for him. He should then go the south and begin his cup passing moonwise (N, W, S, E, N). The priestess will stay in the north and start her cup around as well, in order to let people take in the blessings of the gods. The cup should be passed with a hug or a kiss and a “Blessed be.”
 
The priest should then come back to the north and pick up the bread, kneeling again by the priestess. They should wait for the cups to go halfway around so that everyone has had a chance to share the cup. When it has, she should pick up the original cup and dip her fingers into the wine, sprinkling some over the bread that the priest is holding. He tears the bread in half, handing her one half, then tears off a smaller piece and gives her a kiss saying “Blessed be” before placing the bread into her mouth. She does the same, and then moves to the south to start her half going around sunwise. She tears off a piece and gives a kiss and “Blessed Be” before giving the bread to the next person and them placing the smaller piece in their mouth. In the north, the priest does the same.
 
Once the bread has gone around, the cups and bread are continually passed, after breaking off a small piece of the bread for the Gods for an offering, until they are gone. Discussion of the ritual so far, past rituals, struggles of the past months and general conversation takes place. If there is to be an actual feast, it is brought out now and people can go get their own plates of food, making sure to place a small offering on the offering plate.
 
The offering plate and cup should be dumped out onto the earth somewhere out of the way after the ritual. Never dump one onto concrete. Running river water, if available is also a good choice for returning the offering to the earth. Many covens take up a collection at this time for food drives and charities by leaving out a collection plate and letting people donate as they can.

Altars

Altars

 
Set up and maintain at least one small ritual altar, an altar for a particular deity, or an elemental altar in addition to the Ancestor shrine you are maintaining. Play with various combinations, organizations, and contents in order to find what is most suitable to your way of working. Do you need a different kind of altar for religious celebrations that you do when you are working a spell? What are the differences? What are the similarities? Are there objects that you must have on any kind of altar that you work with? Create, play with, and maintain this altar for at least 3 months. If you are not satisfied with it in that time, keep trying to achieve what you think is the perfect altar for you.

Creating A Magickal Circle

Creating A Magickal Circle

 

Your Spiritual Space


A magik circle is a space where a Witch will conduct rituals and ceremonies. It is the gateway between worlds, spirutal and physical realms come together and allow you to communicate with spirit, conduct spiritual work, rituals, ceremonies and castings.

As with everything in the spiritual essence of the world, even a circle has a few guidelines that need to be followed. The circle is not to be broken by someone stepping into this space unless a gateway has been prepared for them to enter. Nor should a Witch step outside the cirlce during a ritual unless a door way has been prepared.

A circle is used to draw a visionary broundry that protects a Witch from outside forces while conducting spiritual work. Many witches use visions of blue flames or divine white protection to create this boundry.

Others choose to create this circle in the physical sense as well. Either by drawing a circle on the floor in a permanent means, or by using a nine-foot cord made from natural fibers that can be easily placed and removed as needed. Sand, salt or herbs can also be used to draw the circle.

When you have selected the area to place your circle, you should Clear and Cleanse the energies before you draw the circle. Many Witches will place a broom at the doorway of the circle as a tool that designates the entry point of the witch or someone else who will be called into this space for work. The broom is also a symbol of a spiritual barrier to keep out unwanted energies from entering your sacred space.

To draw a doorway, a Witch should use a wand or athame to cut a “hole” in the energy field. Many Witches will use incense to close the doorway, using the smoke to symbolize the divine energy field.

Once your work is complete, you must close the circle and ensure the energy has been properly shut down. Leaving an open gate is not only disrespectful to the forces that assisted you, but also dangerous for you and your home. Closing the circle is as simple as 1-2-3.

  1. Thank the guides, teachers, God/Goddess that you called or who came into the circle to offer assistance during your work.
  2. Imagine the energy around the circle lowering around you, toning down and fading so to speak.
  3. Finally, clear the space with a blessing and ask the energies to close the gate. If the circle was a temporary fixture, then remove it and store it appropriately.

Casting a Formal Circle for a Group or Solitary

Casting a Formal Circle for a Group or Solitary

If there is a limited amount of space within the circle, it is often easier to cast the circle and admit the participants after creating the space. There are pros and cons of doing it this way, mainly having to do with making the participants feel excluded from part of the ritual. In order to avoid this, it is important to have them focus on the people or person casting the circle and adding their energy to what is going on. If you choose to have them within the circle, it is best to have them kneel at the boundary and cast the circle just behind them and over their heads, having them focus on the casting.

With this particular method, you can have one, two, or three people cast the circle, splitting the parts up as you desire. In a large group, splitting up the jobs in this manner helps everyone to participate when there are a limited number of things to do. Any of the parts of the ritual can be split up this way, but some will work better than others. Having more than one person cast the circle is a nice way for a group to maintain the bonds of working together.

When everyone is prepared and quiet, the person casting the circle should move to the altar and touch the pentacle with his or her athame. If the altar is set in the north, all that they need to do now is to visualize energy coming from the pentacle and walk the edge of the circle until they return to the starting point again. Once the caster is there, they should touch the pentacle with the athame again to seal the circle and then visualize pulling the edges of the boundary around to form a sphere above and below. This can also be done by actually using the athame to cast by starting at the pentacle and pushing the energy up over the heads of everyone, around, down through the floor, and back to the pentacle.

If the altar is elsewhere in the circle, the person touches the athame to the pentacle to perform a connection to it and then walks to the east to begin casting. They proceed to the south and then the west and then finally to the north before returning to the east. At that point, they can return to the altar and finish sealing the circle.

NOTE: Circles may be cast in either direction, depending on the work being done. Clockwise (N, E, S, W) tends to be the most common. This sunwise direction is used to invoke and bless. It is useful when the ritual has an outward focus. Moonwise circles (N, W, S, and E) tend to be used for banishing or rituals that focus inward or on the self.

Once the circle is cast, the next person should bless the salt and water to use for purification. Tip three pinches of salt into the water and stir it three times moonwise saying, “By the powers of Life, Death, and Rebirth.” Take this water and go to the east, sprinkling it around the edges of the circle, walking in the opposite direction of the circle caster. Once you have moved all the way around the circle, and if the people are within the circle, sprinkle each of them saying “Be washed clean.” (Make certain that you have someone do this for you, as well.) If they are not in the circle, place the salt water on the altar for later use.

The third person (Or the first, if you are only having two perform this) will bless the incense to consecrate and fill the circle. Place some of the loose powder incense on the hot coal (or light a stick incense) and draw a pentagram over the burning saying, “Blessed be the union of fire and air, the breath of the Gods.” Walk around the edge of the circle with the incense in the direction that it was cast in, slowly, and call the Ancestors to come and witness your circle.

Finally, the fourth person (or number two) moves to the center of the circle and declares that this is sacred time and sacred space. The circle exists outside of our normal time and reality. The shift from mundane to sacred should now be complete and should be a tangible feeling for everyone. The air may look or feel different, or the people may experience a shift in consciousness.

At this point, if you have cast the circle with the people outside, it is time to let them into the circle. The person who cast the circle will take their athame and cut a doorway into the boundary. This is done by inserting the tip of the athame into the circle at the level of the floor and cutting along it to make a wide enough entry for people to pass through. Then they cut upwards to the height of the people outside the circle. They should arch the top and then cut down the other side and across to meet the original point on the floor.

The person who blessed the salt water will switch places with the caster and stand in the doorway before each person as they enter, sprinkling to cleanse them. The caster will hug the person and pull or spin them over the threshold of the circle, bringing them in as a part of the company that will perform the ritual.

Once everyone is inside the circle, the caster will “erase” the doorway by placing the tip of the knife to the floor again and move it upwards, “sealing” the circle again. The “door” should be removed exactly opposite of how it was placed. When you are finished, there should be no trace of a break left in the circle wall. If you can see one, mend it with your own energy and close the break.

Copyright © 2000, Jet Blackthorn

Grounding Energy and Releasing What Was Called

Grounding Energy and Releasing What Was Called

 
Before you end a circle, it is important to leave everyone feeling refreshed and the space in its original state. When rituals are long and complex or there is a great deal of energy raised, quite often there will be energy left that wasn’t used, both in the participants and the circle itself. Grounding this extra energy prevents it from escaping to run into an unsuspecting person when they visit the space next and allows the participants to center themselves again and prevent having jittery nerves or suffering from an inability to rest or sleep.
 
Take time to have everyone sit in a circle with his or her palms pressed to the floor. Visualize the extra energy passing into the hands and out into the earth, only keeping enough to be balanced and centered. The leaders of the ritual should then gather up all the excess energy free in the room and send it down into the earth as well. Everyone present should, at the end of the ritual, have a sense of wholeness within themselves.
 
Once this is accomplished, releasing the Gods and elements with the participant’s thanks can begin. Usually, proceeding in reverse order of calling is appropriate. When the Gods and elements are release, they should be thanked and told that they may stay as long as they are needed and they will be welcomed by all present again.

Lady A’s Spell of the Day for Aug. 21: Enlighten Yourself Spell

Enlighten Yourself Spell

The following ingredients are needed:

Symbols for the Elements

3 Sage Leaves


Put your mind and body back into balance

Enlighten Yourself Spell 

From the Native Americans, this spiritual journey will help to put your mind and body back into balance.

Ideally this ritual should be preformed in open air at noon, with the four elements-earth,air,fire and water naturally present. If this is not possible,use substitute flowers or symbols;or a little soil from the earth;and incense stick for air;a yellow candle for fire;some spring water.

Place these in a circle and sit in the middle. Purify your face and hands by wiping them with sage,then clasp your hands,close your eyes,and let your thoughts drift away.

Open your ears and listen to the elements and nature around you. With your mind’s eye,become part of the water,and feel the warm earth in your hand and the soft breeze of the wind on your face. Feel the harmony and enjoy being at one with the world around you.

Use this ritual at any time to restore balance and harmony to your life.

How Do I Meet My Animal Guide?

How Do I Meet My Animal Guide?

Patience, patience, patience… Animal guides are not owned by anyone, even if
some might be called pets. It is their choice whether or not to make themselves
known to you at any particular time. You may ask nicely, but you can never force
a meeting. Most often your guide will reveal itself in its own time. Just
because they do not appear the first time you try to contact them doesn’t mean
you should give up. Keep trying every so often and when they feel the time is
right they will show themselves. There are three ways you can meet your power
animal or discover which animal medicine is right for you. First, you could just
wait until the guide decides that it is time for it to show itself. Second, you
could write and perform a ritual to call and ask for the assistance of the
animal that would best assist you in your present magical workings or be of help
in resolving a conflict in your life or simply ask that a guide make itself
known to you. Finally you could opt for the method of entering a meditative
state (for example ashamanic trance, astral travel or lucid dreaming) and meet
the animal in the spirit world. When the ritual technique is used, you will most
likely see the animal in its natural form or it may appear in your life through
seeming coincidences sometime after the ritual. There may be a synchronistic
conversation where the topic is of the animal, or you find a book about the
animal, images of it keep popping up, etc. When you catch that first glimpse of
that particular medicine, you will know it in your heart. If you meet the animal
in the meditative astral state, converse with it and ask its help. Anything is
possible in the astral, so ask questions and get to know your new partner. If
you have seen the animal after a ritual, plan sometime to go into the meditative
state to cement your relationship, get to know the animal and the wisdom it
represents. It is important to remember that in many cases, we are chosen and
not the one making the choices when it comes to the alliance with an animal
spirit. We may wish to seek the wisdom of a particular guide but others will
show up instead. Remember to be receptive to any or all who appear because they
all have important lessons or wisdom to impart. It is also possible that before
we can progress to our next level of understanding, we must first resolve or
overcome some underlying issues that we may not be fully aware of or are denying
within ourselves. Once you have met and began your relationship with an animal
spirit, what do you do with it? Power animals are great advice givers, often
representing aspects of our higher selves that we haven’t been paying close
enough attention to. In a meditative state you can ask for their assistance on
problems that have been nagging at you. At times, it is also necessary to seek
the assistance of more than one power animal at the same time to maintain
balance, as is the case between Badger and Deer.

Charm School: Miss Manners for the Pointy Hat Crowd

Charm School: Miss Manners for the Pointy Hat Crowd

Author: Albiana

Did you know that there are delicate matters of etiquette and protocol you are expected to know and abide by when attending a ritual, even an open, public one? Are you aware of what is expected of you as a guest to someone’s covenstead and circle, so you don’t make an embarrassing faux pas or accidentally insult your hosts? Some of these tips below are common sense and a few are requisites for the more traditional type circle arrangements, but it doesn’t hurt to err on the side of decorum even if attending a non-specific ritual gathering.

Should the ritual you plan to attend not advise you of these things by word of mouth or as a part of the written or online open invitation, it is in your best interests to contact the hosts in advance to make inquiries BEFORE the event. Chances are they will be busy on the day of and may not have time to answer you properly or fully, so be contentious and ask them well ahead of time.

Ask permission before bringing outsiders with you. The reason for this is two-fold: unless otherwise stated in the invitation, it may extend only to you because of your relationship with the hosts. Outsiders, even spouses or family members may need to be cleared with the hosts or the other participants first. The second reason is that the hosts may be using the RSVP’s to their invite for a head count so they have enough supplies for the ritual or enough food for the feast.

Don’t come empty handed. This is, foremost, a hospitable ‘thank you’ to your hosts for all their planning and gracious use of space. A dish for the potluck feast, a bottle of wine or mead, flowers for the altar…. all are wonderful gestures. Additionally, some invitations cite that the host group may be collecting canned goods, clothing or other items to give to charity. Or that they may accept, or even require, a monetary contribution to cover the expenses of materials used or the space rental if in a large forum. Sometimes these monetary contributions are on a sliding scale, but don’t be so gauche as to expect to not pay anything at all if the hosts have alerted you about this up front. Springing a “pass the hat” on you without prior warning, however, is tacky on their part.

Have robe, will travel. Most invitations will state whether or not street clothing is acceptable. And it is pretty darn unlikely that a semi-public or public event will be skyclad. For the most part, it is customary to have your own ritual robe to wear while in circle. Some hosts may have a spare for guests to use in a pinch, but don’t assume they will have one set aside for you…. or that it will fit! If you don’t own a robe, usually Ren wear or all-black attire is a good choice for a substitute. Do not wear anything with monstrous logos — save your Dickies shirt or your favorite sports team jersey for your own time!!

Bring your own personal working tools. Just like the robe, you should have your own personal working tools with you and not expect them to be provided. It goes without saying that you cannot expect to borrow any old athame! Should you find yourself without yours, just use your finger. Be aware that in some traditions, female witches are also “required” to wear a necklace of some sort. If you don’t have one, ask the hosts to borrow something.

A simple, yet powerful word: Hygiene. It may sound ridiculous to have to put this on the list, but I can attest to having been in some public circles where this should have been on the loudspeaker. Brushing one’s teeth and bathing are mandatory. Some covensteads may offer facilities to freshen up if you’ve traveled some distance to attend, but don’t rely the hosts giving you a place to take a full-on shower if you’re coming to circle straight from your workout or whatever. Please arrive clean and groomed. Also be very sparing with your cologne/perfume; better to skip it entirely. I’ve been to rites where the person next to me was so overwhelming as to distract or clash with the incense. Please know that eau de parfum is not a substitute for soap and deodorant!!

Let your hair down. Again, according to myth, folklore and what is mandatory to some traditions, your hair should not be plaited or bound during ritual. Some say it is the work of the faery; some say it knots up the personal magic; some say it tangles the energy of the circle. Whatever the reason, it is nice to be completely unfettered during the rite…just be careful if you’ve got waist-length locks and are dancing near the quarter candles!!

Be on time…. or if you’re unavoidably running late, do the courteous thing and CALL. I cannot stress enough how completely obnoxious it is for people to use that lame-ass excuse of “Pagan Standard Time.” It is unaccountably rude to your hosts and the other attendees who have managed to arrive on time to have to alter their schedules to wait around for you. It may be that the ritual itself has a time-sensitive component, which cannot be halted because you got caught in traffic, couldn’t find your keys or whatever. If you’re running late or have a flat tire, please be mindful that the universe does not revolve solely around you and call your hosts. Allow them the option of continuing to wait for you, to start the rite and cut you into circle late or else ask that you skip the rite this time.

Make your own babysitting arrangements. Do not assume that it is ok for you to bring your kids or pets to the hosts’ home and that they will find something to keep them occupied while the adults are in circle. Either find a babysitter or call to ask the hosts if it is all right to bring your children. If you are allowed to bring them, you are responsible for their behavior and responsible for keeping them busy/occupied during the circle. Don’t expect that your hosts will have entertainment set aside for them or allow constant interruptions of the rite to cut you in and out of circle to attend to your children’s needs.

No talking or giggling during circle. You would think it obvious that folks who attend the ritual would want to pay attention and participate fully, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, there are always a few who think it is playtime and who find that if the attention isn’t on them, that it is appropriate to make comments under their breath, make sound effects, start giggling or goofing around or otherwise draw attention to themselves. If you cannot control your borderline ADHD behaviors, perhaps you should rethink your participation in a group setting. For all intents and purposes, you are like a visiting dignitary in someone else’s kingdom.

Treat the hosts with respect and you will be treated likewise. Do not critique the ritual while it is in progress; besides, most folks don’t want to hear “in my group, we do it this way” sorts of feedback. Even if you have something nice to say, please save it for private disclosure after the rite.

No drugs or alcohol prior to the rite. This too goes along with being responsible for your behavior… Hello! Rede anyone? Intoxicants and hallucinogenics alter your cognition and perceptions. Those around you in circle who come to expect a certain level of perfect love and perfect trust from their fellow attendees cannot be confident that you will behave accordingly if you are drunk, disorderly or spaced out. If the objective of most rituals is to get everyone on the same mental/emotional/spiritual plane, it is immensely difficult to do if a participant is whacked out on something. This may also include the ingestion of some over-the-counter cold or allergy medicines too. So if the warning label says “do not drive or operate heavy machinery, ” chances are it is probably not good for you to take prior to ritual.

If you’re sick, do not share in the communal cup or do not attend the ritual. Please don’t spread your illness to others, especially in light of this latest round of cold and flu season! If you’re sick, stay home. If you’re recovering from being sick, please be considerate and not partake of the communal cup. Asks the hosts to give you your libation in a separate vessel or else just “kiss the cup (at the base) ” when it is passed ‘round the circle to you but do not imbibe.

Find your own transport. Kindly make your own arrangements to get to and from the ritual site. It is not the responsibility of the hosts to retrieve you from the airport or the train station. If you don’t have your own vehicle, call a cab or share a ride with other attendees, etc.

Disclose any allergies. This may seem a bit silly, but it is practical. Outdoor rituals have the episode of bee or wasp stings. Some indoor rituals are hosted in homes that have pets and if you’re allergic to fur, feather or other pet dander you could be in for a sneezy night! Same goes for food allergies. Best to know up front if you should skip partaking in the ritual cakes if they might contain tree nuts or other ingredients which would make you need a trip to the ER. Doesn’t hurt to ask.

When proper, do not disclose real names of participants. Out of respect for privacy, there are some events where the participants may wish to be known by a pseudonym or “circle name” only. Do not “out” anyone by their real-world name if you happen to know it unless you have permission to address them as such.

Always move deosil in circle, unless expressly directed to do so by HP/HPS. A good way to remember this is always walk with your right side facing the center of the circle. Perhaps it is a superstition, but for some traditions, this idea is further extended in that you are not to do any ritual movements or gestures using your left hand (even if you are left handed) . You may want to either ask the hosts or just observe what is customary for that group and follow along.

Try to stand in alternating ‘Male-Female-Male-Female’ while in circle. Again, this may be a strict rule for some groups and an ideal situation but not mandatory for others. When in doubt, it seems best for energetic purposes to position participants in this manner. Take a cue from the host group as to whether or not they observe this custom.

Go to the bathroom beforehand. Just like when you leave for a long car ride, please take care of your private business before things get underway. It is disruptive to the circle’s energy to have to cut people in and out of the sacred space for potty breaks. Pregnant women do get special dispensation for this though. *grin*

Shut off your cell phone, Bluetooth, iPod or other electronic device. It is all about not disrupting the flow of energy folks. Not only should you NOT have such electronic device with you in circle, but please turn them on mute or completely off during the rite. Nothing shatters group concentration like hearing your annoying ringtone or the rhythmic buzz of your cell in the background of a meditation or during a pinnacle point of the ritual.

Be aware of any “home court” rules. Different covens or groups have their own local preferences. For example, if they put their altar in the East and you’re used to working with yours in the North or the Center, you have to abide by their local customs while on their turf. Do not expect to impose the version of ritual style you may be used to working in someone else’s ritual space. If you fear something may be so distracting or abhorrent to you that you do not wish to participate, ask to be cut out of the circle and quietly, peaceably leave the ritual. Do not wage a formal protest in the middle of the circle.

Lastly, say ‘Thank You!’ A little courtesy is worth a lot these days. Showing appreciation for the amount of time and effort your hosts have put into the event is gratifying…and may garner you more invites in the future!

Lady A’s Spell of the Day for Aug. 16th: Overcome an Obstacle

Overcome an Obstacle

Is something standing in the way of your financial or career success? Perhaps you’ll have to remove the obstacle before you can make progress. Whether the obstacle is an attitude or something physical, this spell can help you to over overcome it.

Best times to perform this spell:

  • During the waning moon

  • When the sun or moon is in Scorpio

  • On Saturdays

Ingredients or items needed:

  • An athame or kitchen knife

  1. Hold the athame (a ritual dagger) or knife in your right hand.

  2. Close your eyes and imagine you are in a jungle choked with vines and brush.

  3. Hold the dagger out in front of you and make slashing motions as you symbolically cut away the thick growth that’s blocking your path. Chop your way into a small clearing, where you see a suitcase full of money. Pick up the suitcase and take it with you.

Warning: If the obstacle is a person, don’t envision yourself slicing up him or her with your dagger–in your mind’s eye picture vines, which represent the situation rather than the individual.

And  please be extra careful with the dagger!

Getting My Husband to Accept My Religion

Getting My Husband to Accept My Religion

Author: Scáithshúilóir (Bailey)

I have believed in the Wiccan Way since I was perhaps seven or ten years old. It wasn’t until I was thirteen that I began to more wholeheartedly follow the Old Way. I hadn’t done much research, regrettably, and yet looking back on old writings of rituals and dances, songs, poems, that had, at the time, seemed to have nothing to do with the Craft, really did. It was as though the Goddess and the God had been in my blood from day one (for Christianity had always felt “icky” to me, as though I were living a horrid lie that simply wouldn’t go away no matter how much I told the truth) .

I knew what I was, who I was, and what I wanted to do to show the world my beliefs.

However, in my eighth grade year, I was pulled into a weird cult group at my school and while the path we followed as akin to Wicca it was not all the same time. The gods and goddesses we followed were more or less made up, and when I met my current husband at the end of ninth grade after Hurricane Katrina and his friend whom wanted to practice Wicca and turned to me for information, I gave my husband’s friend the information of my cult from middle school versus the true information of the Craft.

My husband went online to verify the information and when it didn’t match up, he went rather nuts. So to this day, I’m still living up to that “lie.” I’m tainted and as are my beliefs.

Now, though he lets me keep my altar up (rather ignorant I’m guessing of what it stands for) and lets me wear my Goddess pendant and pentacle medallion, I know he fights me on practicing my beliefs openly. He seems unable to understand that when one says Wiccans believe in magick, it isn’t necessarily that we believe we can make the wind blow, or flowers grow, or move things with our minds, but rather that we take negative energy morph it into positive energy and through Circles and rituals and spells and the like we channel that positive energy to influence our world and through our positive thoughts and the like change how we do things and how our world is around us.

Yet… I don’t know. It’s hard because every time I bring up Wicca, he tells me “you’re not Wiccan” but I think it’s more because he’s in denial. Like, I saved something from a website that had a good Mabon ritual that I wanted to use come next month and he said, “So you’re looking up Wiccan things to buy online.”

I said, “No, I saved the site because it had a good ritual.”

He didn’t seem mad and didn’t argue with me. So, I guess it’s more of a gradual transition. My friend from years ago, Cael, did a tarot reading for me and said that there are two paths before me and only one reaches home. I’m torn between which path is the right one to take but I’m too stubborn to give up the fight.

I’m not sure exactly what to do.

I’ve prayed consistently to the Goddess and the God to guide me, to allow my husband, whom I would give my life for, who I believe the Goddess and the God gave to me personally, to accept my beliefs. I don’t want him to practice with me. I understand and accept fully that he doesn’t believe what I do, yet… I wish he’d extend the same kindness to me.

I guess I’d be more truthful if I said that there are some aspects of Wicca that I follow. I believe that faeries are lesser, almost demi-gods that are more or less spirits of the Earth manifested in plants, flowers, etc. I’ve already stated my thoughts/beliefs on magick.

I’m an eclectic Witch, but more or less I guess I’d be traditional in the sense that I worship the Goddess and the God, I only call upon Them in my rituals. Though I acknowledge all the other gods and goddesses of the various pantheons, I feel as though it more respectful to speak directly to the “head honchos” of the Way. That may just be me. I don’t believe in love potions, healing spells on myself, or things like that.

I think it is horribly against the Rede to do anything that might be considered “personal gain.” I believe in working for the things in my life, not use the magick given to me in ways to make it a faster process, just to give me a hop in my step.

I’m beautiful the way I am, the Goddess wouldn’t have made me such if I wasn’t truly beautiful. I love women and men equally; I don’t think one sex is better than the other. The Goddess and the God manifest in each of us, so no one is more perfect than the other.

I accept others beliefs, for the Rede bids us “Abide the Wiccan Law ye must/ in perfect love and perfect trust.” I follow the Rede as best I can, but like all humans I mess up.

But I’ve digressed from my general point. I only want to be accepted. I wish I could reach a mutual understanding with my husband. I love my faith and I love the Goddess and the God, and to not worship them every night by opening a circle and simply meditating with Their presence beside me, it’s almost painful.

Goddess and God willing my husband will accept my religion as I have undoubtedly accepted his. But as I’ve mentioned before in above paragraphs, it’s still a debated issue. I hope the gradual transition works out in the end. And I hope it comes to a close soon. I can’t take much more of this. It’s killing me.

High Magic, Low Magic: Designations Help Define Our Styles

High Magic, Low Magic: Designations Help Define Our Styles

Author: Treasach

I personally find designations handy. They express no limit, only a specialization. It certainly helps you anticipate how easily you can work with another and how your styles and knowledge will mesh. I know, for example, that I don’t usually get on well with high magicians, or Iron John style wizards. That’s darn handy to know when someone tells me that he is a necromancer and a cabbalist.

As I label myself a ReClaimist, matriarchal, bardic green witch, most of you will have an idea of what I am currently working on, where my knowledge areas lie, what my focus is, and how I express my spirituality. That doesn’t mean I’ll stay like that forever, or that I’m not interested in other forms of worship, but it certainly makes it easier for us to find others of the same style. Rather like nametags at a convention.

I not only see no harm in it, I encourage folks to find a useful label for their personal style practice. Makes them feel more validated, too, especially when they are first starting out.

High magic is usually the term for what the wizards do. It’s rather like a Catholic mass, with all the ritual words in a sacred language, pomp and finery, ordained divine conduits, and strict adherence to detail. The power in high magic comes from without… the great universal energy that is harnessed by the correct performance of the ritual itself, with some measure from the performer (s) , but not much. They are mostly lending energy for the conduction of the spell to take place, which is why there is such an emphasis on hierarchy in high magic. It is vital that the ceremony be followed exactly with the correct people taking care of their assigned functions. The more powerful as spell, the less room for error.

The big draw for this kind of magic is that it offers a great deal of power in a relatively short period of time, but with a corresponding danger level as you ascend. The goal is to eventually control and submit the entire Universe. Nearly all wizards are male, white, and have terrible ego issues. They are usually still at the age where they feel invulnerable, since it’s required that you eventually wrestle with demons, for example, and incur the wrath of extra dimensional entities by enslaving them or their friends. It is often spelt with a ‘k’ to delineate it from low magic. Wizards find that sort of window dressing appealing.

Low magic is usually what witches do. Its goal is to make you one with the Universe, and therefore blissful, content, wise, with all your needs provided for. To unleash and accept your Goddess within, which is the same as the Goddess without, by giving full release to your Goddess self. This means that much attention is paid to your own instinct and the answers that are right for you, as your Goddess cannot ever be wrong, you just have to get better at hearing her. So our spells are more like mediation, sometimes with helpful symbols or foci like incense, statues, herbs, and other paraphernalia.

Most experienced witches don’t bother with it, however, unless they are trying to working on something much harder than usual. To effect change in the Universe, we try to use the Butterfly effect, to tug on the string of the Great Weave that will most affect the change we want. In trying to find the string, we learn how the Universe works and so increase our wisdom. And the Universe is vast, so She often can’t get to something as quick as She’d like.

It is therefore our job as Her representatives to draw her attention to inequities by blessing those who need it, to injustices by cursing those who deserve it, and other maintenance of the Continuum, thereby increasing our understanding and interaction with it.

Wicca is like high magic for witches. It calls upon the spirits and entities in a very ritualized format with specific assignments to the members, but primarily uses the inner energies of the group or individual to do the prescribed task. There is therefore no backlash if done incorrectly. But they do seem very fond of their accoutrements…

Most women choose the style of Low magic because it is more like their usual style of being: persuading and joining, rather than controlling. The sex of the practitioner doesn’t enter into it, other than gender training in their culture helping them have certain inclinations… That explains the overwhelming majority of practitioners in the Middle Ages being clergy. They often went into the priesthood for reasons OTHER than piety, like power and wealth, they were learned, and they had access to all sorts of magical formula, arcane materials, etc. So High magic, or ceremonial magic, was almost entirely Christian and clerical in the Middle Ages.

It is indeed all the same power. However, I can cure myself, clean my house, or get rid of my weeds and insects in my garden through chemicals created in a lab, or I can use chemicals in herbs and natural liquids. Some are just as dangerous to the environment, and myself but most aren’t.

Chemicals, like magic, are all made of the same components essentially but how they inter-react and perform is completely variable depending on how they were generated and used. They can be naturally gentle and persuading, or they can be artificially harsh, brutal, and destructive.

I’m sure most of you have heard of the phrase “As above, so below”. Only one interpretation is rendered as “As in Heaven, so it happens down here.” Another, more widely used and helpful meaning is “Change or events Outside affect the Internal, and vise versa.” ‘High’ in the case of magic means ‘external’, ‘low’ means ‘internal’. ONLY when hierarchy becomes so predominate in this culture, and High implies more powerful, and consequently more male, does High and Low magic take on some connotations that some people today take umbrage with. It’s not a personal insult to our style.

Now. When was the last time any of you enslaved a demon, deity, or angel to unwillingly do your bidding? How about binding your local ghosts, fairies, and spirits as your personal gophers? I don’t remember when it was that I forced the dead to come back in an unquiet rest to speak about the secrets of the Universe… High magic involves the use of formula and ritual to achieve just such dog collars on the Powers of the Universe. It isn’t the end in and of itself. The spell is usually to DO something, but it is the elemental being that figures out how to achieve the goal.

This kind of style offers much to recommend it to those that want a lot of power fast. Sure, High magicians have to keep their will focused on the spell for it to work, but only for the ritual itself. For the results of the spell to be efficacious, it doesn’t have to be PERSONAL, internal power that is bringing it about. That’s what the Harnesses of the Universe are for, like Jewish magic squares, Keys of Solomon, which can energize, activate, and execute many different kinds of spells simply by being performed correctly. However, the perils increase correspondingly.

I’ve seen a young wizard tell me that Hunters from the sprit world are stalking him, and we did a little complex ritual around a lamppost to confuse them so they can’t follow. I mean, I never saw them, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there, so I won’t doubt his word. Much. But I’ll tell you. I’ve never done anything in my magic work to invoke their wrath in the first place.

I am not comparing levels of power here. A very experienced or instinctive witch who is close to the Warp and Weft of the Universe can indeed stop a storm with a thought. Unfortunately, that takes a great deal of Enlightenment to reach that point, so most of us don’t get there in a hurry, if ever. Now, it takes a wizard of far less experience, personal power, and self-mastery to achieve the same ends by going through the rigmarole to capture the power of the Storm God and just fire away or let Him do the work. It’s not easy, but it’s a hellova lot easier than becoming one with the Forces of a Hurricane and personally knowing on an unconscious level what strings to pull.

With these kind of benefits attached to High magic, including the hierarchy, the feeling of mastery and the practice of invincibility, it’s no wonder that most wizards are men. But there is no such thing as a free lunch. Most powers that are so bound in High magic are not only interested in becoming Unbound as soon as possible, they would also like to wreak revenge on the mortals who dared to commit such an atrocity.

Which is why my little wizard friend was almost PROUD at the Things following him. The quality of a wizard is told by the quality of his enemies, after all… I don’t know of many women who have the same disregard for personal safety as many men do, either, btw…

Now, the next time any of you try to harness the Angel of Life and Death to cure yourself of cancer by invoking the Necronomacon and creating a doorway to Hell in your closet, rather than simply lighting a candle and envisioning the cancer going away, then you can tell me that High magic and Low magic are the same.

You must admit, the first one, if done correctly, has a much greater probability of curing you quickly and permanently, but so much can go wrong. The latter requires a deeply Enlightened, experienced, or otherwise powerful witch, and you might not be able to find one before you croak, but at least you don’t have to worry about your relatives falling through to the Second Circle when they put their coats away at your wake.

Charging Tools

Charging Tools

 
What you will need:
The item in which you wish to charge, whether it be some jewelry, your pentacle or some crystals.
Salt for the Earth element
A candle for the Fire element
Water or rose oil for the Water element
Incense for the element of AirHow to do the ritual:
This is a really simple charging ritual.
You may wish to elaborate on it once you have created your own ritual style!

Start by taking your item that you want to charge and place it in front of you. Shake or sprinkle a little salt over your item and say the following:

“Earth spirits from the North/South I ask you to charge this …..with the power of Earth. By the Goddess and/or God so mote it be.”

Imagine a green light filling the item and empowering the item with the qualities of Earth.

Dip or trickle some water over your item and say this:

“Water spirits from the East/West I ask you to charge this ….. with the power of Water. By the Goddess and/or God so mote it be.”

Imagine a blue ocean like colored light filling the item and empowering the item with the qualities and power of Water.

Pass the item through the smoke of the incense and say:

“Air spirits from the West/East I ask you to charge this ….. with the power of Air. By the Goddess and/or God so mote it be.”

Imagine a pale light filling the item and surrounding it. Empowering it with the powers of Air.

Move the item through the heat above the candle flame and say the following:

“Fire spirits from the South/North I ask you to charge this ….. with the power of Fire. By the Goddess and/or God so mote it be.”

Imagine a red or orange light filling the item and empowering it with the power and energy of Fire.

Once you have done this imagine a bright white/blue light surrounding the item charging it with your own energy.
After this the item will be charged with the elemental powers and your own.You can now use the item for whatever purpose you needed it.You can perform this ritual as often as possible.

The Old WOTC

The Book of Shadows

The Book of Shadows

Most Wiccan traditions treasure a Book of Shadows. Such books are rarely
published or even shown to non-initiates. In them, the Tradition’s specific
beliefs and modes of worship are thoroughly or sketchily outlined. Though
contents and organization of these ritual manners vary, most Books of Shadows
include instructions for the circle casting and banishing; religious rituals;
the consecration of tools; laws; coven organizational notes magical rites;
prayers and perhaps herbal lore. Some contain lists of the Traditions
pantheon, training exercises for new students and, finally, initiation
ceremonies.

Such books are vitally important to the establishment and maintenance of all
Wiccan traditions, for without them, the tradition’s specific rites and other
lore must be carefully memorized and passed down by word of mouth. This always
leaves room for error, misinterpretation, and even loss of the material. Don’t
misunderstand this: no Wiccan tradition has been able to record every single bit
of information. Much is verbally passed from teacher to student. Still a
tradition’s Book of Shadows provides and unchanging guide and memory trigger for
the practitioner.

There are many different Books of Shadows today. Some are used by hundreds of
Thousands of Wiccans. Others are created by Solitary Wiccans and never shown to
others.

Information from Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by
Scott Cunningham

To me the Book of Shadows is a very special book. Mostly because it is innermost
thoughts that come from your heart and soul As you study and Learn you will fill
that book up with all kinds of things from Spells to Thoughts, To just writing
how you are feeling about things. And it doesn’t matter what kind of book of
shadows you have whether it is a three ringed binder to a home made book. How
you wish to organize your Book of shadows is up to you. Just make sure that you
put as much love and care into as you do yourself. Cause that will always be a
very special and important book in this Life’s Path. And May the Goddess Shine
Brightly in your Heart for Always.

The Old WOTC